Food is never just about nutrition. It can mean home, family, comfort. There’s no single answer, and no survey box big enough to hold them all. So, we decided to hand the microphone directly to citizens to better understand their ideas and feelings when it comes to food consumption and production.

Participants in our Citizen Science Labs in Braunschweig, Bruges, Turin, Valencia, Pomurje and Thessaloniki stepped in front of the camera to share their thoughts on food, everyday habits and the changes they would like to see. Speaking in their own languages, they offer a candid glimpse into how people across Europe think about the way we eat.

The result is two short videos bringing together voices from all over Europe.

The first looks ahead: participants imagine the small changes they would like to make in their own routines and the bigger ones they hope to see in their communities. The second brings us back to the table, with a peek at what people actually eat and what “healthy” and “sustainable” mean to them in practice.

Listening to these stories is more than a nice exercise. Understanding how people really eat, and why, is the starting point for SPOON’s work: changing food habits is only possible if solutions are built together with the people who live them every day.

No actors, no scripts: just real people sharing their views in their own words, the same people who help explore and shape how SPOON works.

Watch the two videos (English subtitles) on our YouTube channel.

Photo credits: ITC